CAIRO, November 1. /TASS/. Russia’s A321 passenger jet that crashed in Egypt on Saturday broke down in midair, Viktor Sorochenko, the executive director of the Interstate Aviation Committee, told journalists on Sunday after examining the crash site.

"It is too early to speak about the crash causes. The plane broke down in midair and its fragments are scattered ove a vast area of about 20 square kilometres," he said.

An A321 passenger jet of Russia’s Kogalymavia air carrier (flight 9268) bound to St. Petersburg crashed on October 31 some 30 minutes after the takeoff from Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh. It felld down 100 kilometers south of the administrative center of North Sinai Governorate, the city of Al-Arish. The plane was carrying 217 passengers and seven crew members. None survived.

President Vladimir Putin declared Sunday, November 1, a day of mourning for the worst air disaster in Russian history. St. Petersburg will be mourning over the crash victims till November 3.